Namibia helps Lufthansa in Johannesburg jet fuel crisis

Jet fuel is still in short supply at OR Tambo International Airport near Johannesburg. The German airline Lufthansa and its Swiss subsidiary SWISS are therefore continuing to make refuelling stops on their return flights (see report on Namibian.org).

Lufthansa landed in Durban on its return flight to Frankfurt. According to a report on AeroTelegraph.com (in German), this diversions extended the total flight time by two hours. Passengers with connecting flights complained. For some, the time to change planes was very short, others missed their flight.

Lufthansa looked for a better solution. It now flies an empty Boeing 747 to Hosea Kutako International Airport (HKIA) near Windhoek. The jumbo refuels there and lands in Johannesburg, 1,180 km away, the next morning. The return flight to Frankfurt in the evening can therefore take place without a stopover.

The Lufthansa subsidiary Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) already uses HKIA in Namibia for a refuelling stop. However, with passengers on their return flight to Zurich. The Lufthansa flight Johannesburg - Munich stops in Luanda.

There has been a shortage of jet fuel at OR Tambo Airport in South Africa since the fire at the refinery in Sasolburg, south of Johannesburg, at the beginning of January. The damaged facility will probably not be operational again until mid to late February.

At the beginning of the week, South Africa announced an end to the jet fuel crisis. The Fuels Industry Association of South Africa (FIASA) and the government had ordered more than 120 million litres of aviation fuel, reported the regional travel industry portal TourismUpdate. It will be delivered by ship via Durban on 1 and 10 February.

Sven-Eric Stender